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Portrait image of W. Somerset Maugham Photo: 1929 Bassano/Camera Press / TT

Sample of authors

Maugham, W. Somerset

William Somerset Maugham was a British author born in Paris. His father was a lawyer at the British Embassy there. When Maugham was eight years old, his mother died of tuberculosis, two years later his father died of cancer and the boy was sent to live with his uncle, the Vicar of Whitstable in Kent. Maugham suffered from a serious stammer, he was shy and avoided speaking in public; unlike his...

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Literary figures

Miles Bredon

Gender: Male

A well-built, absentminded and somewhat lethargic private detective – in school, however, he was a promising runner – who has just one employer: an insurance company. Miles Bredon’s task is to investigate fraud, including life insurance cases. He is married to Angela, a quick-thinking conversation partner, who according to author Ronald A. Knox is ‘a little bit smarter’ than her husband. They have...

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